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[Saba Sports News] The feud between Stephen A. Smith and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia may have reached its conclusion on Friday. Tensions escalated earlier in the week when Smith compared Ishbia to disgraced former Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was banned from the NBA for making racist remarks.
The controversial comparison didn’t sit well with Ishbia, who responded during the Suns’ end-of-season media session and called for an apology.
Smith responded—sort of.
“Mat Ishbia is absolutely right,” Smith said. “I do owe him an apology because I mentioned Donald Sterling. I thought it was clear I was talking about basketball, not making a personal comparison. I certainly didn’t mean to liken him to someone who was banned from the league for being a racist.”
While criticism over basketball decisions is fair game, Smith admitted that referencing Sterling crossed a line. Ishbia, for all his missteps as an owner, has not been accused of fostering a toxic workplace. Smith made that distinction clear.
“I shouldn’t have said Ishbia’s name in the same breath as Donald Sterling,” Smith continued. “I wasn’t referring to that Sterling—I meant the version sitting courtside, heckling players and running a franchise that never won anything.”
Though Smith’s apology clarified his intent, it wasn’t exactly a full retreat.
“Unfortunately for you, sir, that’s the only thing I was wrong about—and that’s the only apology you’re getting from me,” he added.
During Thursday’s availability, Ishbia had accepted accountability for the Suns’ on-court shortcomings, a statement that seemed to defuse some of the tension. With Smith now offering a partial mea culpa, this back-and-forth may finally be put to rest.